Reel spindle



May 31, 1966 m R. mm M n.. w M Hm. id w NN .A m1 H N 1 H l WIWII, W ,MH wwwa ww Si m NW m m\\. m w S* -XW Hm WN Q11 l i W K wwwwmwwm W, UNT, En 1 .I f Q @@MMW www wwwmwb w ww\ V w\\ @NVM uw E QN w HNI .A

United States Patent() 3,253,796 REEL SPINDLE t Arnel E. Jackson, Audubon, NJ., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 362,407 Claims. (Cl.v 242-68.3)

This invention relates to an improved spindle on which a reel may-be mounted.

There are certain types of reel drives for reels which are to be rotatably driven by a spindle wherein a key comprising part of the spindle engages a mating slot in the hub of the reel. It is sometimes ditiicult, particularly when the spindle turns very easily and when neither the key nor the slot is visible to the operator, to so mount the reel on the spindle that the key registers with the slot.

Furthermore, it is advantageous to provide a keeper means to hold the reel in fully mounted or home position on the spindle. However, this keeper means should not interfere with the mounting or dismounting the reel from the spindle.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved spindle for a reel.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a reel spindle having a key which automatically enters the mating slot of the reel.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a keeper means which can be moved to a position where it does not interfere with the mounting of a reel on a spindle or with removal of the reel from the spindle, and which automatically assumes reel keeping position in response to the manipulation thereof following mounting the reel on the spindle.

The novel features of this invention, both as to its organization and method of assembly and operation, as well as additional objects and advantages hereof, will be understood more readily from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side vieW showing one form of spindle according to this invention with a reel mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged axial sectional View of the i spindle of FIG. 1 taken on the line 2-2 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view of the spindle of FIG. 2 on the line 3 3 thereof; and

FIGURE 4 shows one form of a slide forming part of the spindle of FIG. 1.

Turning to FIGS. 1 and 2, a spindle 10 is shown comprising a cylindrical rod 12 of a size along a portion 13 of its length to slidably t in the hole 14 through the hub 15 of a reel 18 to be mounted thereon. The rod 12 may have a greater diameter for the remainder of its length, the greater diameter portion 19 being rotatably mounted in a support 20 by means of anti-friction bearings 22. A toothed timing pulley 24 is xed to the rod 12 beyond the support 20 as by a set screw 26.

Starting at its free end, the rod 12 has an axial bore 13' along a portion of its length. A pair of aligned,

; longitudinally extending slots 28 are provided radially through the rod near the free vend thereof. A further pair of longitudinally extending, aligned slots 30 are provided radially through the rod 12 in a plane at right j angles to that of the slots 28, the slots 30 being shorter than the slots 28 and extending between the ends of the first mentioned pair of slots 28. A pin 32, which extends only part way into the -bore 13' in the rod 12,

is provided between the end of one of the shorter slots 30 and the free end of the rod 12. A longitudinally extending notch 34 is provided in the surface of the rod CJI ICC

12 in the larger diameter portion 19 thereof adjacent the junction of the larger and smaller diameter portions 13 and 19 of the rod, this junction being between the inner ends of the first mentioned slots 28 and the bearings 22. An anchor pin 36 extends through the rod 12 at the inner end of the bore parallel to the shorter slots 30. The purpose of the slots 28 and 30, the pins 32 and 36 and the notch 34 will be described hereinbelow.

A slide 38, more clearly shown in FIG. 4, is slidably mounted in the bore 13 of the rod 12. This slide 38 may have a cylindrical outer end 40` which extends out beyond the free endof the rod 12. However, the remainder of the slide 38 comprising the inner portion 42 thereof is flattened on one side to the extent that the attened portion 42 clears the short pin 32 (see FIG. 3) and to the extent that a keeper 44, to be described, may -be pivoted on the slide 38 and may extend through the longer radial slots 28. A exible sleeve 46 of rubber or plastic may be mounted on the cylindrical portion 40 of the slide 38 to serve as a finger grip, to protect the operator from' the projecting end of the slide 38, and to act as a guide for the reel 18 and thus facilitate sliding of the reel 18 onto the rod 12. For the latter purpose, the outside diameter of the sleeve 46 is made the same as that of the rod 12.

The keeper 44, which is pivoted on the slide 38 near the inner end thereof by a pin 52, is shorter in its longest dimension than the longer slots 28 and its maximum width is less than the outside diameter of the rod 12. The keeper 44 is wider in the middle than at the ends, both sides thereof being cut away at acute angles to its longitudinal axis (see FIG. 4). The angle of the cuts on one side of the keeper axis may be greater than the angle of the cuts on the other side thereof. The minimum width of the keeper 44, at the ends thereof, is a little less than the diameter of the bore in the rod 12 for a purpose to be explained. The keeper 44 is so mounted on the slide 38 that it may be turned on the pin 52 to extend through the longer slots 28, or it may be turned to be wholly within the rod 12. The ends of the pin 52 extend into the shorter slots 30 but the pin does not extend beyond the surface of the rod 12. A tension spring 54 extends between the pin 52 and the anchor pin 36, resiliently urging the slide 38 in a direction away from the free end of the rod 12, i.e., toward the support 20.

The hub 16 is mounted on the rod 12 at the inner end of the larger portion 19 thereof and is fixed to the rod 12, as by a set screw 56. An L-shaped keying device S8 is pivotally mounted in a radially extending rectangular slot 60 in the hub 16 by means of a pin 62 extending transversely to the axis of the rod 12 through the top of the L-shaped keying device 58, as viewed in FIG. 2, and through the hub 16. The free end 64 of the L-shaped keying device 58, which acts as a key, extends towards the free end of the rod 12 through an eccentric hole in the hub 16 adjacent the concentric rod receiving hole 65 through the hub. A compression spring 66, which is mounted in another eccentric hole extending part way through the hub 16, urges rotation of the keying device 58 about the pin 62 in a clockwise manner, as viewed in FIG. 2, towards the free end of the rod 12. The hub f 16 is so arranged on the rod 12 that the notch 34 in the the side of the keeper 44 adjacent the hub 16 contacts the ends of the longer slots 28. However, if the keeper 44 is wholly within the rod 12, the spring S4 pulls the slide' 38 until an end of the keeper 44 is received in the bore 13 of the rod 12. When there is no reel 18 on the spindle 10, the key 64 extends out of the hub 16 towards the free end of the rod 12.

If the keeper 44 is transverse to the rod 12, the spindle is prepared for reception of the reel 18 by manually grasping the free end 40 of the slide 38 (or the sleeve 46 thereon) and pulling the slide in a direction away from the hub 16 until the keeper 44 can be turned manually 90 to the position shown in FIG. 4. The keeper 44 is so turned. Then, the slide 38 is released, whereupon the spring 54 moves the slide 38 in a direction towards the hub 16 until an end of the keeper 44 extends for a short distance inside the bore 13 in the rod 12, contact of the angularly extending sides of the keeper with the radially inner edges of the slots 28 preventing the spring 54 from causing further motion of the slide 38 in a direction towards the hub 16. Since, at this time, the keeper is wholly within the rod, the reel 18 can then be placed over the rod 12 and pushed as far toward the hub as is possible. If a slot 68 in the reel hub for mating with the key 64 should happen to be aligned with the key, the key 64 is received in the slot 68 and a side of the reel 18 contacts the hub 16; otherwise, the key 64 urges the reel away from the hub 16. Then, the slide 38 is pulled manually in a direction away from the hub 16 until a side of the keeper 44 contacts the cam pin 32. The camming action of the pin 32 on the keeper 44 rotates it, usually through less than 90, until both ends of the keeper 44 extend radially beyond the rod 12. The reel 18 should be held against the hub 16 to permit the keeper to turn about its pin 52 without interference by the hub 15 of thereel 18. The slide 38 is then released and the spring 54 pulls the slide back towards the hub 16. One end of the keeper 44 contacts the reel 18 and the keeper 44 is rotated by the pull of the spring until it is at right angles to the rod 12. Further motion of the slide 38 in the direction toward the hub 16 is opposed by the push of the key 64 on the side of the hub 15, if the key 64 does not extend into the slot 68, causing the L-shaped keying means 58 to tend to rotate towards a position where the end of the key 64 is wholly within the hub 16. Upon subsequent rotary motion of the spindle 10 with respect to the reel 18, the key 64 in the hub 16 Ibecomes aligned with the slot 68 and the key 64 enters the slot 68 under urging of the spring 66. The reel 18 is then held firmly in place on the spindle 10 against the hub 16 by the keeper 44 and the reel 18 is rotationally xed to the spindle 10. The user need not attempt to align the key 64 and the slot 68 in the reel.

To remove the reel 18 from the spindle 10, the slide 38 is pulled in a direction away from the hub 16 and the keeper 44 is rotated manually until it is wholly within the rod 1 2. Then, the slide 38 is released whereby the keeper 44 is kept wholly within the rod in the manner explained above. The reel 18 may then be readily removed from the spindle 10.

Although a single spindle has been shown and described, it will undoubtedly be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations in the spindle are possible within the spirit of this invention. Hence, it should be understood that the foregoing description is to be considered as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. ln combination,

(a) a spindle on which a reel can be mounted, said spindle having an axial bore therein and radial slots therethrough,

(b) a hub mounted on said spindle in spaced relation to one end thereof,

(c) a slide mounted in said bore and resiliently urged in a direction towards said hub,

(d) a keeper pivoted on said slide and extendable through said radial slots, for keeping said reel on said spindle and against said hub, and

(e) means mounted on said spindle for causing rotation of said keeper transversely of said spindle when said slide is moved away from said hub.

2. In combination,

(a) a `spindle on which a reel may be mounted, said spindle having an axial bore therein and radial slots therethrough,

(b) a hub mounted on said spindle in spaced relation to one end thereof,

(c) a slide mounted in said bore and resiliently urged in a direction towards said hub and movable in a direction away from said hub,

(d) a keeper pivoted on said slide and extendable through said radial slots for keeping said reel on said spindle and against said hu-b, and

(e) cam means mounted on said spindle and extending into said bore in the path of said keeper when said slide is moved away from said hub for causing rotation of said keeper transversely of said spindle.

3. In combination,

(a) a spindle on which a reel having an eccentric key receiving slot may be mounted, said spindle having an axial bore therein and radial slots therethrough,

(b) a hub mounted on said spindle in spaced relation to one end thereof,

(c) a key to be received in said key receiving slot mounted on said hub,

(d) a slide mounted in said bore and resiliently urged in a direction towards said hub but movable in a direction away from said hub,

(e) a keeper pivoted on said side and extendable through said radial slots for holding said reel against said hub',-and

(f) cam means mounted on said spindle and extending into said bore in the path of said keeper as it is moved away from said hub for causing rotation of said keeper transversely of said spindle.

4. In combination,

(a) a spindle on whi-ch a reel having a key receiving slot may be mounted, said spindle having an axial .bore therein and radial slots therethrough,

(b) a hub mounted on said spindle in spaced relation to one end thereof,

(c) a key which is receivable in said key receiving slot mounted in said hub,

(d) means for resiliently moving said key out of said hub and along said spindle towards said end,

(e) a slide mounted in said bore and resiliently urged in a direction towards said hub and movable in a direction away from said hub,

(f) a keeper pivoted on said slide and extendable through said radial slots for holding said reel against said hub, and

(g) means mounted on said spindle for causing rotation of said keeper transversely of said spindle responsive to motion of said slide away from said hub.

5. In combination,

(a) a cylindrical spindle on which a reel having a key receiving slot may be mounted, said spindle having an axial bore therein and two pairs of radial slots therethrough,

(b) a hub mounted on said'spindle in spaced relation to one end thereof,

(c) a key which is receivable in said slot pivotally mounted in said hub,

(d) means for resiliently moving said key out of said hub and along said rod towards said end,

(e) a slide mounted in said bore and resiliently urged in a direction towards said hub and movable away from said hub,

(f) a keeper,

5 (g) a pin pivotally mounting said keeper on said slide, said keeper being extendable through one of said pair of radial slots, and said pin extending into said other pair of slots, and (h) cam means mounted on said spindle and extending into said bore in the path of said keeper when said slide is moved in a direction away from said hub for causing rotation of said keeper transversely of said spindle.

6 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1912 Uebelmesser. 5/ 1921 Holden 287-5207 

1. IN COMBINATION (A) A SPINDLE ON WHICH A REEL CAN BE MOUNTED, SAID SPINDLE HAVING AN AXIAL BORE THEREIN AND RADIAL SLOTS THERETHROUGH, (B) A HUB MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE END THEREOF, (C) A SLIDE MOUNTED IN SAID BORE AND RESILIENTLY URGED IN A DIRECTION TOWARDS SAID HUB, (D) A KEEPER PIVOTED ON SAID SLIDE AND EXTENDABLE THROUGH SAID RADIAL SLOTS, FOR KEEPING SAID REEL ON SAID SPINDLE AND AGAINST SAID HUB, AND (E) MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE FOR CAUSING ROTATION OF SAID KEEPER TRANSVERSELY OF SAID SPINDLE WHEN SAID SLIDE IS MOVED AWAY FROM SAID HUB. 